John
Chaney, Mvskoke Creek, PhD, is a professor in the
department of psychology at Oklahoma State University
in Stillwater, Oklahoma. He is the director of
theAmerican Indians into
Psychology Program, and he is
the director of the Marriage and Family Clinic. Chaney
teaches courses in pediatric psychology, family therapy,
and the psychology of minorities. His clinical interests
include family systems theory and narrative approaches
to therapy.
In 2009 he received the Oklahoma State University Regents
Distinguished Research Award for his work that melds
pediatric psychology and minority and diversity issues. In
particular he studies the functioning of family systems in
the context of chronic childhood health problems, such as
juvenile rheumatic disease and Type 1 diabetes. Chaney was
the co-author of the first paper focused on American
Indians ever to be published in the Journal of Pediatric
Psychology. Chaney’s research also includes academic
achievement in American Indian students, racial bias, and
the use of American Indian images as sports mascots.

Dr.
Chaney (in the middle) with the other recipients of
the 2009-10 Regents Distinguished Research Award
Winners.
Chaney wants American Indians to become more visible. He
thinks that one way American Indians can achieve more
visibility and influence is by getting a good education and
earning advanced degrees.

The
following are some of Chaney’s reflections on and advice
about providing mental health care in American Indian
communities.

Providing
Effective Health Care

American Indian and Alaska Native psychologists who choose
to work with Native people face challenges. Chaney says,
“One mistake some graduates make is to go to an Indian
community, hang up their shingle, and expect people to line
up at the door. That doesn’t work. They may need to first
serve stew and fry bread at community gatherings and serve
meals to the elderly. They may need to participate in
community functions, like pow wows, before people will
trust them.”

When clients do come for a counseling session, the
approaches used in the dominant culture might not work with
some Native people. Chaney notes: “In traditional
psychology you ask some pretty personal questions during
the first contact. I avoid doing that with traditional
Native clients. I’ll let them tell me. Also, in most
training programs, therapists typically are taught to
disclose very little about themselves to clients. However,
many traditional Indian people may feel as though you are
not being genuine and aren't likely to come back if you
say, ‘We’re not here to talk about me. We’re here to talk
about you’. Before these clients can trust you, they want
to know: Who are your folks? Where is your family from? Are
you a member of the community? Are you one of us?”

Psychologists and other health professionals don’t
understand when some traditional people seem to withhold
important information. Chaney says that can often be
explained by the fact that traditional people might assume
that, like medicine men and women, health professionals
already know important information. "It’s considered
disrespectful," says Chaney, "to tell people in these
positions what they clearly already should know."

The
comments above were originally published in an article that
appeared in the Autumn 2000 issue of
Winds of Change. (The cover
artist is Roy Henry Vickers, Tsimshian and English.)